


Weird things parents do

by Ghelik



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, An overabundance of Hope, Children, Crack, F/M, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghelik/pseuds/Ghelik
Summary: John Murphy and his daughter Ivy go to Hope McCreary's birthday party.





	Weird things parents do

**Author's Note:**

> At the 100 Discord we had a discussion about how much Hope is too much... Then this happened.
> 
> I regret nothing

“Papa?” Murphy looks down at his seven-year-old daughter. Her thick brown is in pigtails that swing with each step. She’s playing with the beads on the puffy skirts of her Badass Space Princess costume, the Nerf gun at her back bouncing against the back of her thighs with each step. He asked if she wanted him to carry it for her, but she refused, saying she had to be prepared in case they were attacked by space pirates, for the last three months everything in her life has been space-related. “Why did you call me Ivy?”

Murphy shrugs, twisting the leather strap in his left pocket between his fingers.

“Your mom and I like that name,” he says, with a shrug. “It’s a name full of life. You’ll get to high places with that name, your highness” he bows exaggeratedly and kisses her small hand in his right. Ivy laughs at his antics like he knew she would. When he straightens his thigh twitches painfully, and the leg nearly gives from under him. But it doesn’t.

They continue down the street and stop at a light next to an old woman. She looks him up with frowned lips. Murphy smiles at her and the woman raises her head to look at him down her nose even when he’s over a head taller than her. Murphy smiles his most unsettling smile.

The light changes and he would love to saunter across the street with Ivy bouncing beside him, but his leg is killing him now for some reason, so he’s nearly dragging it. Ivy notices, of course, and looks up at him with a worried frown.

“Why do you ask about your name?” he asks before she has time to worry about him too much. “Don’t you like it?”

They’re nearly at the party anyway.

“Yes, I like it.” She rolls her tongue over her lips. Emori has painted her face: a fierce scar on her left eyebrow that disappears behind her eye-patch – just like Thor’s! – rosy cheeks and lip gloss on her mouth. “But the girls in my class brought happiness and hope to their parents. Didn’t I?”

Murphy frowns. “Yes.” He chuckles scooping her up in his arms. His leg buckles under the extra weight, but it’s still manageable. “You are the most important person in our lives. The day you were born there was no sun that could shine as brightly as you, you understand?”

She nods, and he kisses her, rasping her cheek until she squeals. “Dad! You’re raspy!”

He sets her down, and together they walk down the block to the McCreary’s.

Murphy rings the bell, and a beautiful woman opens the door in a cute flowery summer dress opens the door. The woman is a high ranking military, Murphy knows as soon as he sees her, his spine straightens automatically, his relaxed stance becoming formal without him really noticing. The woman nods with a smile. “Good afternoon. You must be Ivy. Hope has told me so much about you.”

Ivy, suddenly shy shifts on her feet. The woman – Charlotte? Charlie? Something starting with Char. Murphy makes an effort not to mentally call her Charmander – bends down to be at eye level with Ivy. “That is a very nice costume. Are you a princess?”

“I am Warrior Princess Ivory Steel of Wundertopia, captain of the Northern Fleets and Destroyer of Monsters!” she proclaims grandly and Charmander – damn it! – smiles.

“What a fierce princess! Are you here to conquer or to protect?”

“I’ll conquer all the world to make a giant playground for all humankind!”

“So generous.” The woman straightens. “Well then, why don’t you go out into the garden? The rest of the children are there.”

Ivy rushes off without taking the gift from her father. Murphy shifts when Charmander’s eyes – stop it! – land on him. “John Murphy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m Charmaine Diyoza. Why don’t you come in? We’re doing our separate party. There’s a lot more punch and fewer clowns.”

Murphy doesn’t want to stay, but he knows he should at least attempt to get along with his child’s friend’s parents.

“Yeah, I could use a drink.”

He tries not to drag his aching leg too much. He is acutely aware of the tear in his pants and how worn his shirt is in comparison to Diyoza’s pristine little house. She guides him to the backyard, where she’s set up a roundtable currently occupied by the parents of half of Ivy’s class. Introductions go by in a blur, and he ends up sitting next to Bellamy Blake – Hope Blake’s dad, he remembers him from parent’s evening. Out in the garden ten girls and three boys, all in brightly collared and shiny costumes. Hope McCreary wears a Batman cape and a birthday crown, behind her run Hope Green and Hope Kane-Griffin.

Murphy is barely paying attention to what’s being said around him as he watches Ivy chase Esperanza Reyes and his daughter’s question suddenly makes sense.

He frowns at the parents happily sipping their punch and laughing.

The blonde man sitting across from him smiles. “Why so serious, Murphy?” He remembers the blonde from the parent’s evening, too. He’s one of those insufferable parents that have to question absolutely everything.

“I just realized that every kid in here seems to be called Hope.”

The man, Rayan or Riley or something equally ridiculous, bends forward like he’s about to share a big secret. It makes Murphy extremely uncomfortable, but he forces himself to stay where he is. See, Ems? He’s trying to be more sociable. It’s not his fault everyone’s weird and creepy.

“I know, right?” whispers Raimond – no, it was shorter. “What’s up with that? It’s like they did a pact or something.” The blonde man – Renard? Renaud? No, that’s a car. “It’s so weird.”

Murphy forces a smile on his lips.

“What’s your kid called?”

He points at a chubby girl dressed as a fairy, smiling like every lame parent stupidly proud of their child. “Fairow Hoggard.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always this was unbeta'd
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and commenting


End file.
